PRESIDENT TRUMP will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to race team Owner ROGER PENSKE. Trump "didn't say when he would award the medal or provide any other details" (FREEP.com, 6/20).
BREAKING GROUND: The POHLAD family, which own the Twins, "celebrated the groundbreaking" for its new 37-story office tower in Minneapolis on Tuesday, and in doing so, "announced that most of their companies will move into the building upon its completion," except for the team (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/19).
HONORS & AWARDS: Jazz Owner GAIL MILLER was "honored Thursday at the Congressional Gold Medal awards for her efforts to give back to her community." Miller was given the Horizon Award, one of the "top honors given out by the board of the Congressional Award Foundation, the only official charity arm of Congress" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 6/21)....Former MLB manager DUSTY BAKER will be inducted into the National High School HOF on June 30 (SACBEE.com, 6/19).
GAMING CONNECTION: Twitch streamer TYLER “NINJA” BLEVINS will be one of the headliners at a new festival "billed as the first of its kind truly to mash up music, video games and esports culture." The Metarama Gaming + Music Festival, to take place Oct. 19-20 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, will "feature musical artists such as SNOOP DOGG" and pro gramers like Ninja. Also in the lineup is SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, who is an "investor/advisor in NRG Esports" (USATODAY.com, 6/19). Meanwhile, Ninja has signed a publishing deal with Random House’s Clarkson Potter and Ten Speed Press to “publish multiple books and graphic novels” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 6/19)
NAMES: RILEY MORRISON, the 9-year-old girl who “successfully lobbied STEPHEN CURRY to produce” his Under Armour sneakers in girls sizes, “will be a guest at the Phoenix Mercury game” on Sunday. Morrison will be a part of the Mercury Kids Day activities and also attend Mercury practice Saturday and be the team’s ‘Believe in Women’ honoree” at the game (AZCENTRAL.com, 6/19)....Penguins RW PHIL KESSEL will “compete at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this summer for the eighth consecutive year” (DKPITTSBURGHSPORTS.com, 6/20)....Film producers CHRISTOPHER SCHEIMANN and OLCUN TAN have partnered with director BOBBY RAZAK on "THE POWER OF 1," a "feature biopic of UFC fighter EVAN TANNER." The film, co-written by Scheimann and Razak, is "slated to go into pre-production toward the end of this year, with principal photography planned for early next year" (VARIETY.com, 6/20).
